Last year in an interview with Wonder Brown, I was actually told about this album that Wonder was doing with Sean Little, and then due to my lack of memory I forgot it even existed. When I listened to the single on the album, I got excited about it and rightfully so. Listening to 'A Love Aphiliated' is an amazing experience in hip-hop and music in general. Now for those who are out of the loop, Sean Little released his album 'Scott Free' in 2008 and Wonder Brown is part of the Scribbling Idiots and has recently released an EP called 'The Gallows'. Now there's one more piece missing to this duo; a producer. This is where Vintage comes in. Vintage is most known for his beats on Theory Hazit's 'Lord Fire' project. Vintage teams up with Wonder and Sean Little to produce all the beats on this project also, making the album a must listen.

Why is it that human beings have a tendency to want to classify things? Does it make it easier for us to digest something if we can put it in a box with similar products? This seems to happen in music a lot, especially in hip hop, since it has been fractured into so many sub-genres. Sometimes I think it's the easy way out to listen to a couple of songs and throw an artist under some label. In fact, as I listened to Heath McNease's 'The Gun Show', I was tempted to do just that.
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Over the past 20+ years, I've often wondered why hip hop is so obsessed with low temperatures. Think about it...jewelry is referred to as ice, "cold" has consistently been used as an adjective in hip hop culture (i.e. "cold chillin'", "That's cold!" "Stone Cold Rhymin'"), and countless MCs have had names that alluded to refrigeration. Ice Cube, Ice T, Just Ice and of course, Vanilla Ice have all had names that alluded to cool, and maybe that's the point. After all, "cool" was used by jazz musicians in the 1940s to signify that something was hip, and hip hop took that concept to an extreme.

Ruslan is really pushing it right now in terms of work ethic, hes grinding like never before. He released 'The Freequel' then went on to release 'Scratching the Surface' with his crew Gallery Drive, and here we are with 'Right Out Loud (The Prequel)'. The 9-track EP features original production from DJ Rek, Sean P, Exile and much more, with guest rhymes from Braille, BlameOne, etc.

When hip hop was first being created by DJ Kool Herc and his contemporaries in the 70s, New York was the place to be. As time has gone on, obviously, hip hop has migrated to various localities around the nation. Since the 80s, Philadelphia has produced some major names, both in terms of commercial hip hop and the underground. Everyone from Will Smith to Eve, Roots to Jedi Mind Tricks has called The Illadelph their home base. Continuing in that city's varied tradition is Japhia Life, with his new album, Nazareth. If youve never listened to Japhia Life, then get ready to hear stories of real life filtered through imaginative lyrics and beats that just might make your head nod.

Over the past decade, in addition to his work on projects like Acts 29 and Light Headed, Braille has amassed quite the solo discography, constantly improving and refining his already promising writing and delivery. From his debut, Lifefirst: Half the Battle, to last year's Cloud Nineteen, those who have cared to have been able to witness the evolution of a great emcee. He's not a great "Christian" emcee. He's not a great "backpacker" emcee. He is a great emcee. If you're one of those who have been paying attention, and you know how great Braille is, you're still not ready for this album.

No Ordinary Love might not excel in lyricism, but it makes up for this with innovative music, heart, and well placed guest appearances. Rawsrvnt (pronounced: Raw Servant) may be an average emcee but he is an incredible artist. The songs on this album have so many instrumental and vocal parts that you might forget you are listening to a hip hop artist. There are no simple loop based beats here, instead you find very complex, well thought out music, complete with electric guitars and background vocals. These elements are all used greatly and go a long way in making up for the average rhymes.

116 Clique is a mainstay and one of the clear leaders in Christian Hip Hop. They have blazed trails with their curriculum and amazed with their focus on ministry and being in the mission field. There has been a great divide between those who are with Reach, Lampmode and Cross Movement Records and everyone else. This was mostly done by fans and not the artists themselves. However, at times I started to wonder if Reach artists were being elitist. Then I started seeing these artists building with others outside of their camps. I started seeing relationships being built publicly on Twitter. I probably should not have assumed anything.

For years, Manafest has straddled the line between rock and rap, drawing comparisons to such groups as Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, KJ-52s Peace of Mind project and even Eminem. With the release of The Chase, it seems like the artist has finally become comfortable in his own skin, categorizing his project as rock rather than rap. And Id say hes somewhere on the spectrum between Linkin and Limp kinda like Fort Minor. This may disappoint some of his longtime fans, but it will more than likely gain him far more fans than he will lose.

Rhema Soul’s Fingerprints is pure, unadulterated “beast mode.” I could end the review right there, but I know you want to know why I think that. Let me put it this way. You know your album is hot when the album that came before ('Worn Soles') was awesome, but this release makes that release look like it will be an embarrassment to look back on. Fingerprints is a masterpiece in the truest sense of the word. Everything that worked on Worn Soles and the 'Dope Beats, Good News' EP has been ratcheted up several notches, creating a crisp, tight sound, complemented by exemplary and clever wordplay on the part of the talent trio.